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Aryn S. Youngless

Friday in Review: Gone Girl

Last week I chose a title from years ago, and this week I’ve decided to go a bit more contemporary.

If you haven’t heard of Gone Girl yet, I commend you. About a month back I asked for book suggestions on my Facebook page and this was the number one pick suggestion. So I read it, and let me tell you – it has been stuck in my mind ever since.

Now, I read a lot and I’m not overly picky when it comes to genre. Some of my favorite reads are from Douglas Adams to Jane Austen over to Rick Riordan and Brian K. Vaughan. YA, thriller, science fiction, fantasy – poetry and essays. I enjoy in a way that when I meet people who say, “Who has time for reading?” silently I gasp. That said, if I start a book and lose interest I am also not the type of person who will finish the damn thing. Time wasted on reading isn’t a waste, unless the book doesn’t draw you in. Then it is a waste, indeed.

Enter – Gone Girl.

This is one of those stories 1000+ writers will read and think, “God damn, why didn’t I think of that?” (Or they’ll say, “I thought about that a while ago.” – cuz that’s what we do… fickle as we are.)

The simplicity of this book is genius – and at the same time, there is nothing simple about it. Gone Girl is a gem, and I’m glad it was recommended. (Or I would have skipped it purely out of popularity. As fickle as I am… )

You have until October 3rd before the movie is released, there after Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike will forever stuck in your brain as you read it. Honestly, I don’t think the casting is bad, but as an avid reader it’s always nice to have the ability to create what/who I want to see.

Here are my three reasons why you should read Gone Girl?

As I said before – simplicity. Growing up on Law & Order and Sue Grafton (G is for Gumshoe is another fav), I’ve read and seen my fair share of detective dramas. I’ve looked for the clues – I’ve missed some, I’ve noticed others and normally I figure out who did it in the first few minutes of the show or first few chapters of the book. When I read/see something in this vein of writing and they trip me up I am most impressed.

Along with the simplicity is the originality. It’s scary perfect in a very tangible way. Maybe it’s because part of my life was a petri dish of sorts, or the fact I need to analyze and dissect things (that would be the writer in me) but it is woven in a way you think, “I know that guy/girl.”

It will make you look at the people in your life in a whole new light. There is genius in crafting something that makes other’s perspectives shift. Last week I chose the George Orwell book, Down and Out in London and Pairs. That book made me looks at how much hasn’t changed. It cemented the villainization of poor people in this world we live in. This week, Gone Girl has forced me to stand back and look at past relationships. Who said what when and what did their body language say to me at the time? Am I crazy? Well, am I? Maybe… but that’s okay.

I’m sure the jacket has blurbs strewn across it. “FANTASTIC!” “ORGASMIC!!” “BEST SHIT YOU’LL READ THIS SUMMER!!” All of these statements are true. Check out Gone Girl and see what you can do with average unhappy people in a mundane vanilla setting. Check out Gone Girl and start doing background checks on all the new people you meet, and maybe some of the ones you think you already know.

Either way, go check out Gone Girl. And always remember, maybe you don’t have a kindle or you can’t afford to spend $15 on a new book – library cards are free AND if they don’t have the title you want, request it. Libraries are your friends.

Happy reading! Happy Writing! Happy Friday!

If you have any books you love and would like to recommend them to me, please list them in the comments below!

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2 comments

Yes, libraries ARE your friend! I took this out electronically from the library and love, love, LOVED it! I know Flynn’s got a couple of other books out, and I’m going to add them to my to-read list. 🙂

I had so many people recommend this book that I gave in. Normally, and this is a lovely flaw of mine, but when I see a book is becoming a movie I tend to back off. Also, NYT Bestseller can push me away, but I really thought this was a great find. Extremely inventive and a really surprising twist.